Electric service switch



Feb. 7, 1939. ca..` E. PALMER I 2,146,648.

ELECTRIC SERVICE SWITCH Filed Dc. 1'7, 193e 2 sheets-shew 1 Feb. "7, 1939. G. E. PALMER 2,146,648

y ELECTRIC SERVICE SWITCH Filed neg. 17, 193e 2 sneetsfshect 2 362 35 y /9 ,5/ I 2f Z l i Patented Feb. 7, 1939 OFF [C E 2,146,648- ELECTRIC- SERVICE swl'r'crrv Granville E". Palmer;I Ca

by' mesne assignments, Y nance," Corporation, Boston, Mass.,4 a.

States, corporation.

mbridge, Y Mass., assigner,-

tq.- Reconstruction Fi-x` United..

Application December 17, lsscisenai-'Na116,299:

' 120mm.. (crus-183.)

The object offthis invention isv toimprover and simplifyvv the equipmentusedinrthe control and masurementfof electric current at whatV is'A generally known as the service entrance of electrical conductors'- into'abuilding.

'Ihissirnpliiication is' secured by means of a V,case onhousing' enclosingl` the normal control devices, `suclr-as the switch', the terminals for theelectric current Ameasuring device, such as a meter, an' additional circilitv opening device used in the testing'foff sa'i'dl meter and manually operablecoverV means offa'cabinet to effect, when operated, the-'openingorl closing ofthe circuit controlV device, oroptionallyyto effect only the exposure of` the said' `additional circuitv opening device sothat this" last said device may beused inf the" testing of*V a meter that is normally in'he circuit with' said normal control device and the said additional circuit contro-ldevice.

e {The invention herein described" providesY for such a correlation" of its componentl parts that these partsmay be includedin' a small compass, but at the'jsame time-'be readily accessiblev when accessibility' is required. Myv improved device also aiords inaccessibilty when inaccessibility is required; and, through* the doubleY unction' of certain parts; serves the purpose oiltwo ormore devices in comparablev equipment.

In many cases it isl desirable that theswitch or' vother controlling device of Vanr electric service be mounted in close proximity tov the electric meterA and that the current' carryingA parts of these devices and the conductors connecting thereto be enclosed'inla metalliccabinet of such dimensions that tlie requirements of th'eflrecod'e `are"`complied with; A further object'y of' this invention is to providel a cabinet suitable' to receive the above mentioned devices in Which'i all? the partsv enclosed" inl the 'cabinet may :be exposedl for inspection v to facilitate original installation' or vrepairsfor inspection' at aF later date, and at'the 'same time to providelafcabinetl ofV minimumzsize tohousefsuch equipmentin af practical manner so 'th'at Vcertain of these' parts are inacoessibly enclosed'by a lockr or-r seal; Afnoth'er object is' to provide both normal:I circuit controlling means, such asa fuse land/or switch blade, and additional circuit controlling. means, the latter-being arranged' for sealable enclosure inr either circuit open or circuit closed position.

For the purpose of'ifll'ustration a typical embodiment ofthe invention is shown ini the accom- -panying drawings: inl which Fig. lisarfront View; Fig.- 2 isA a. circuit diagram;

'ther switch; comprising.

Fig. 3"isan" enlarged front view with th'e cover open;

Fig.` 4i i'sa tran's'versesection with the cover opened through 1809 and the switch opened through 909; l

`Fig. 5 isa section online 5'-5 of Fig. 3 with tliercover"closed?y andi' Fig: flisa4 sectiorr oir line lil--llofA Fig. 1.

The` particularI embodiment of" the invention cho'semfr tlie purpose of illustration comprises ametr box* I5 and" ai switch `box 2"' having the same'cross-sectiona;l di'xnensionslandr fastened togeth'er4` by internal? screws ,(fnotf shown). The metier" box# I-"has a'- circular ffanged-opening` in its front; the1meterf'3 beingrrnountedover, this opening by asplit'I clian'nellshaped ring 4` which ts o'v'erftlie` abuttigifiang'es# offtlie boxV and meter. Th'esplitf endsfof" theA 1 ringe 4- are securedl to gether bye a boltf 5 Wlriciimaybeseald* iii-place by an ordinary"sealingwire'extending through the bolt lieadi'andfo'ne of-tfheslots'l'in the earsl 1' of the sealing'mingf: U'po'n removalloftlrie sealing ring the glass 'cover' oftheineterf may; be removed to f exposatl'ie test'l postslf, 9?; 'landf I I--Without removingthel meter' from the box:

, The switch box Zfand'its contents are similar tti-those disclse'dfiirtle c'opendingf application of Islrnestiv. Johansson :SerialNo'l 'Z9-,724, iiled May 14; T9362" Patent No; 2,128,648, Aug'. 50",vv 1938. As disclosed? inthat applicationhthe box 2' has a cover If2`hi`n`ged"- toltl'ieboxl f3fandprovided With ai raised'fcentral portioni4' having a handle l5" forfopening-` the cover. Hingedl't'othe same edge of the box 2V is a carrierf'l'fon the' under side of W 'ic 'sare-mounted twd-pairsfofswitch contacts of contacts arepairsof! fuse.' clips 20"-2l and 2li-23 for'cartiidgeffuses 2'4 andi 'l5'.y Mounted intermediate the front:V and' black. of. the box 2 a partition ZEI'heIdIi'nfplace byr screws 2T and 4 carrying al sheet.of?insulation; 28, thel partition and'.insulation".` havingfour slots to yaccommodate the-.switch contacts?- |6 I1., lfand I9. Mounted behindithe 4partiti'or'r.isither'stationary portion of the stationary contacts 29g-305 and: 3 Il-32f to engage' with the contacts I6 lil andra e-lgfrwhenfthe' switch is closed.

Accordingr tothis; invention` eachv off the righthand* fuseffclips` '21. and: 23r aremounted on'Y the carrier.` through=L the mediuirof` an angle piece 33 which.l isy fastened totv one off. thefl insulation blocksf 34":'through' the? mediumoff' screws (not shown'. VEach of Atrie"riglfxti-fhand switch contacts:` lTf andtl hasz anfouteturned? portion 35,rv at itsfupper. endz4 (Figi 4.','2 thesey out-turned ends Cri carrying straps 3B which extend to the right into spaced juxtaposition with the out-turned portions of the angle pieces 33. Intermediate the overlapping portions of the parts 33 and 36 are pieces of insulation 37. The parts 2i, 33 and 3l are interconnected by a bolt 38 threaded therethrough (Fig. 5). The straps 36 contain openings 39 somewhat larger than thebolts 38 and coaxial therewith. Threaded on the bolts 38 are nuts 49 which, when threaded inwardly against the straps 3E, complete the circuit between the straps and the fuse clips. The carrier i5 comprises a channel-shaped pieceY of insulation the 11p-turned edges 4l of which-.project above the carrier i 5 to insulate the carrier from the nuts 49. The straps 36 are provided with upwardly projecting test terminals 42 and 43, the inner ends of which serve as rivets to secureV the straps to the out-turned upper ends of, the switch contact members Il and i9. The left-hand switch contacts I6 and I3 are likewise provided with straps 44 for interconnecting these contacts with the associated fuse clips, these straps beingconnected with the switch contacts l5 and i9 by means of rivets 45 and 45 which project upwardly in the form of test terminals.

As shown in Fig. 2 the electrical circuit enters the meter box at the lower left-hand corner through service wires 4'! and 48, thence extends to the terminals 8 and 9, through the meter coils 49 to the terminals ID and Il, through wires 50 and 5i extending through aligned openings in the two boxes to the stationary switch contacts 39 and 32, thence through the movable switch contacts l1 and I9, straps 36, nuts 40, bolts 38, fuse clips 2i and 23, fuses 24 and 25, straps 44, movable switch contacts IS `and I8, stationary switch contacts 29 and 3l and thence out of the switch box through load wires 52 and 53.

To test the meter the cover l2 is opened without opening the switch andthe glass cover is removed from the meter. Temporary jumpers 54 and 55 are then connected to the test terminals 8-45 and 9-46 respectively to by-pass the meter. The nuts 40 are then backed up to disconnect the meter from the load circuit 52--53 and the test apparatus comprising an artificial load 56, a series coil 51 and a potential coil 58 is then connected to the test terminals 8, 9, 42 and 43 as indicated by brokenlines at the right-hand side of Fig. 2. Thus the meter may be tested without interrupting the supply of current to the load circuit, without opening the switches and without removing the fuses. n

As shown in Figs. 1 and 6, the switchcover I2 and the switch carrier |5Amay be interconnected so that the switch is opened when the cover is opened. For this purpose theicarrierl' is provided with an upstanding lug 59 projecting upwardly through an opening inthe cover and containing an opening 68. Mounted on the outside of the cover by-means of a screw El is a latch 62 extending through the opening'. The latch 62 is covered by a strap 63 extending through an opening 64 in the upturned end of the tongue and having an upturned end V65 adjacent the outer end of the lug 59. The parts 59 and 65 have registering openings through which a seal 66 may be applied. A customers service may be discontinued by backing up the nuts 48 and then sealing the cover l2 and carrier l5 together so that the customer can not apply awrench to the nuts 48. In the case of re in a building containing a bank of these switches the remen may open all of the circuits by openingfthe. covers I2 without pausing to ascertain which services are in use and which have been discontinued.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims. For example, it should be understood that instead of joining the meter box to the lower side of the switch box the former may be joined to the upper side or the right or left side of the latter, and that any one of the four sides of the meter box may be joined to any one of the four sides of the switch box, the relative positions of the parts depending upon various factors peculiar to diierent installations, particularly upon the locations o1' the service and load circuit conduits.

YI claim; Y

1. An electric service device comprising a box, a cover for the box, a carrier movably mounted in the box, stationary switch contacts in the box and cooperating movable contacts actuated by the carrier, sealing means for interconnecting said cover and carrier so that the said movable and stationary switch contacts are separated i when the cover is opened, and circuit controlling means for opening the circuit through said switch contacts without moving the carrier, said circuit controlling means being enclosed when the cover and carrier are sealed together.

2. An electric service device comprising a box, a cover for the box, a carrier movably mounted in the box, said cover and carrier being hinged to the box to swing about substantially the same axis so that they may be swung together or independently, stationary switch contacts in the .box and cooperating movable contacts actuated by the carrier, sealing means for interconnecting said cover and carrier so that the said movable and stationary switch contacts are separated when the cover is opened, and circuit controlling means for opening the circuit through said switch contacts without moving the carrier, said circuit controlling means being enclosed when the cover and carrier are sealed together.

3. An electric service device comprising a box, a cover for the box, a carrier movably mounted in the box with an outer side facing the cover when the cover is closed, stationary switch contacts in the box and cooperating movable conl tacts actuated by the carrier, circuit controlling means on the said outer side of the carrier for opening the circuit through said switch contacts without moving the carrier, and detachable means for interconnecting said cover and carrier so that the said movable and stationary switch contacts are separated when the cover is opened.

4. An electric service device comprising a box, a cover for the box, a carrier movably mounted in the box with an outer side facing the cover when the cover is closed, said cover and carrier being hinged to the box to swing about substantially the same'axis so that they may be swung together or independently, stationary switch contacts in the box and cooperating movable contacts actuated by the carrier, circuit controlling means on the said outer side of the carrier for opening the circuit through said switch contacts without moving the carrier, and detachable means for interconnecting said cover and carrier so that the said movable and stationary switch contacts are separated when the cover is opened.

5. An electric service device comprising a box, a cover for the box, a carrier movably mounted in the box, stationary switch contacts in the box and cooperating movable contacts actuated by the carrier, sealing means for interconnecting said cover and carrier so that the said movable and stationary switch contacts are separated when the cover is opened, a fuse mounted on said carrier and interconnected between said movable contacts, and circuit controlling means between said fuse and one of said movable contacts for opening the circuit through said switch contacts and fuse without moving the carrier, said circuit controlling means being enclosed when the cover and carrier are sealed together.

6. An electric service device comprising a box, a cover for the box, a carrier movably mounted in the box, said cover and carrier being hinged to the box to swing about substantially the same axis so that they may be swung together or independently, stationary switch contacts in the box and cooperating movable contacts actuated by the carrier, sealing means for interconnecting said cover and carrier so that the said movable and stationary switch contacts are separated when the cover is opened, a fuse mounted on said carrier and interconnected between said movable contacts, and circuit controlling means between said fuse and one of said movable contacts for opening the circuit through said switch contacts and fuse without moving the carrier, said circuit controlling means being enclosed when the cover and carrier are sealed together.

7. An electric service device comprising a box, a cover for the box, a carrier movably mounted in the box with an outer side facing the cover when the cover is closed, stationary switch contacts in the box and cooperating movable contacts on the inner side of the carrier, means on the inner side of the carrier for interconnecting a fuse between said movable contacts, circuit controlling means on the said outer side of the carrier for opening the circuit through said switch contacts and fuse without moving the carrier, and detachable means for interconnecting said cover and carrier so that the said movable and stationary switch contacts are separated when the cover is opened.

8. An electric service device comprising a box, a cover for the box, a carrier movably mounted in the box with an outer side facing the cover when the cover is closed, said cover and carrier being hinged to the box to swing about substantially the same axis so that they may be swung together or independently, stationary switch contacts in the box and cooperating movable contacts on the inner side of the carrier, means on the inner side of the carrier for interconnecting a fuse between said movable contacts, circuit controlling means on they said outer side of the carrier for opening the circuit through said switch contacts and fuse without moving the carrier, and detachable means for interconnecting said cover and carrier so that the said movable and stationary switch contacts are separated when the cover is opened.

9. An electric service device comprising a meter, a switch, a fuse, and means for electrically interconnecting said parts together, a cover for the meter and a cover for the switch and fuse, test terminals under said covers respectively for by-passing and testing the meter when the covers are opened, a carrier movable between circuitclosing and circuit-opening position, said fuse and the movable contacts of said switch being mounted on said carrier, means on the carrier for disconnecting the meter from said fuse without moving the carrier from circuit-closing position and without removing said fuse, and means interlocking said carrier and switch cover together to render said test means inaccessible, said switch being freely movable between open and closed positions while said carrier and switch cover are interlocked together.

10. An electric service device comprising a meter, a switch, a fuse, and means for electrically interconnecting said parts together, a cover for the meter and a cover for the switch and fuse, test terminals under said covers respectively for by-passing and testing the meter when the covers are opened, a carrier movable between circuitclosing and circuit-opening position, said fuse and the movable contacts of said switch being mounted on the inner side of said carrier, means on the outer side of the carrier for disconnecting the meter from said fuse without moving the carrier from circuit-closing position and without removing said fuse, and means interlocking said carrier and switch cover together to render said test means inaccessible, said switch being freely movable between open and closed positions while said carrier and switch cover are interlocked together.

11. An electric service device comprising a box, a carrier hinged to one side of the box to swing back and forth between open and closed positions, a stationary switch member within the box, a switch element on the inner side of said carrier for engagement with said stationary member when the carrier is in closed position, a contact element on the inner side of carrier in spaced relation to said switch element, and means on the outer side of said carrier for interconnecting or disconnecting said elements while the carrier is in said position.

12. An electric service switch comprising a box, a cover for the box, a carrier movably mounted in the box, normal circuit controlling means including stationary switch contacts in the box and cooperating movable contacts actuated by the carrier, sealable means for interconnecting the cover and carrier so that the said movable and stationary contacts are separated when the cover is opened, and additional circuit controlling means for opening the circuit through said switch contacts without moving the carrier, said additional circuit controlling means being enclosed between the cover and the carrier.

GRANVILLE E. PALMER. 

